Overview
- A 53-year-old Annerley man who called Triple Zero with chest pain on Saturday night was triaged as Code 1C, was asked if he could go to the nearby Princess Alexandra Hospital, declined because it was unsafe to drive, and was found dead by paramedics about two hours later.
- Queensland Ambulance Service and Queensland Health have opened critical incident reviews to establish what dispatch and triage steps were taken and whether protocols were followed.
- The dead man’s family first learned of his death from news reports, prompting Health Minister Tim Nicholls to apologise and arrange meetings between the family and senior ambulance officials.
- Reporting and official data place the case in the context of heavy system strain, with Queensland Health records showing about 42% ambulance ramping at the state’s largest emergency departments and average handover delays that add ‘lost minutes’ to ambulance shifts.
- The reviews will determine operational lessons and possible changes to triage, dispatch and next-of-kin contact procedures while the family seeks answers about whether different decisions could have altered the outcome.